体坛英语新闻：Real Madrid sacks coach Pellegrini and will contract Jose Mourinho

Pellegrini joined Real Madrid last summer with the job of leading a team that had spent over 250 million Euros (300 million US dollars) on star players Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso.

Returning president, Perez had promised trophies, but despite all of his expenditure Real Madrid ended the season empty handed for a second successive year.

Things began badly for Pellegrini when the club was knocked out of the Copa del Rey by third tier side Alcorcon before Christmas.

That was embarrassing, but it was the club's failures in Europe and in the Champions League that were more painful.

With the Champions League final celebrated in Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, there were high hopes the club could win its tenth European Cup, however, Real Madrid failed again, being beaten by Olympic Lyon at the first knockout stage.

It is the sixth season in succession that Real Madrid has failed to even reach the quarter finals and that failure virtually sealed Pellegrini's fate.

The Chilean's only chance of saving his job was if his side won the Primera Liga title.

Madrid has had a record breaking season in Spain. Pellegrini's side won 31 of its 38 Primera Liga matches and scored 102 goals, but finished second to FC Barcelona.

Not only that, but Barcelona beat Real Madrid in the Camp Nou and won 2-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu, where its superiority was evident to anyone who watched the game. Barca's 4-0 win against Valladolid in the final game of the season saw the Catalans win the title with a lead of three points.